Lunch Break Pondering
by butterdoveluv
Summary: Lacey chews over the recent changes in her life.


" Don't be stupid Lacey."

Lacey Porter's gaze had been rudely interrupted by the sound of her raspy voiced best friend, Sarita. Sarita had become famous and imitated for her urban themed street chic clothing, but none of it was as dear to her reputation as the half bored completely irritated expression she wore most of the time. It was actually one of the first things Lacey noticed about Sarita. As she and Jo grew further apart, Sarita's snark and dry wit made her miss Jo less. Years later she cant help but to feel guilty about it. What she had with Jo was never going to be replaceable, and Sarita eventually grew to be someone Lacey valued all on her own. Besides, if either of them knew she found them to be similar people, the world and high school as she knew it would tilt and crumble to the ground.

Yeap. A Serita versus Jo themed civil war.

A war. Two sides viciously hacking away at their people, resources, and livelihood. All for the right to say the other side was wrong. Not too unlike the battle being fought within her own head. Half of her couldn't help but to look back, to long for Jo's laughing eyes and Danny's half cocked smile. Even back then her mom would mention what a great smile he had. How his smile would one day melt hearts and cause hushed giggling and whispering in hallways. Not long after would chime in and say it was the best part of his father he inherited. A smile to fall in love with. Further thoughts about her past were interrupted again by Sarita's impatience.

"Look at you Lacey. I'm trying to tell you this as your best friend. Don't go there with socio".

Her heart quickened and her throat went dry. Did Sarita see her with Danny last week? Last week during Fall Fest, she had met Danny in a very public but empty section of the town. Most people were all focused at the festival. Town favorite festivities like pie eating contest and drunk dancing occupied them for hours. Most didn't go home until one or two in the morning. Still, doing what she did in the middle of town was stupid. Not just because of their location, but just in general.

When news of Danny's return became common knowledge , she promised herself to not spare the kid a second glance. She wouldn't ruin what she had. Not so she could walk around school like some sort of outcast. Trying and failing to keep her chin up as her friend's parents forbade them from talking to her, and filled their heads with nonsense about her or Jo's part in the murder. As if she and Jo ran around town plotting murder and hiding evidence in a fort.

"Hello, earth to Lacey ? If anyone's home, it's rude as shit to ignore someone when they are trying to save you from socially hanging yourself".

Her words hit Lacey like hot liquid on her skin. She couldn't go back to that kind of life. She had friends and a boyfriend who loved her. She would in no circumstance let Danny Desai take that away from her again.

Finally getting her tongue and lips to work appropriately she managed to speak . " What exactly do you mean, Sarita ?" mentally prepared for the worst, she came up with as many excuses as she could. All meant to portray her innocence should she ever stand accused. None of them made a lick of sense. Her life as she knew it was over.

In what was known to be a rare occasion, Sarita's eyes softened as she spoke " I know you do this thing where you care about people too much, but showing anything other than indifference for Socio will bring you nothing but bullshit. So just give it a rest already. You have been looking at him off and on since lunch started. Shmoe Jo will be back before we know it, and he can kick the lonely puppy routine to the curb."

Was that really why he looked so put out today? Wait, had she really been staring at Danny? She couldn't recall her gaze ever drifting to the wavy haired brown skinned boy sitting alone in the corner. He was currently playing with the edge of a text book. His eyes looked tiered and his clothes rumpled. Had Jo's absence really done so much to him? She had heard from her mother that Jo was out sick with the flu. She wasn't due back to school for another day, maybe more.

An ugly feeling blossomed in Lacey's chest. It was warm and made her hot and teary eyed. She guessed every trio member had scary thoughts of being left behind, but she Danny and Jo were no longer friends, and it wasn't the thought of being left behind the disturbed her. It was the thought of watching him walk away with her. It was a feeling that would bite at her every time she saw the two of them walking and laughing together at school. In the beginning she thought it was anger and jealousy. How dare the two of them act as if nothing happened. As if they could just go back to the way things were before Danny wrapped a rope around his aunt's neck. Like it was so easy to forget. Then it was easier to admit that her jealousy was fuelled by feelings she had as an eleven year old girl.

She could no longer say that. Not when it came to Danny.

His lips were too soft and she enjoyed those kisses for too long. She could still feel his heavy hand clutching at the back of her blazer, burning through her clothes while the other held her face close to his. Danny's kisses were desperate but then again, so were hers. The both of them kissed like they would never kiss again.

When she got home that night after the festival she spent hours staring at the ceiling. Phantom lips and fingertips caressed her body and drove her to an uncomfortable heat. She turned on her side and placed a pillow between her legs. The cold fabric felt good on her hot skin, but visions of Danny soon invaded her thoughts again. He was between her legs playing with the soft skin on her upper thigh. His tongue tracing her collar bone and his hips rocking into hers. Her own body was far from motionless. While her fingers played and pulled with his long wavy hair, one of her legs was stationed at his hip pushing him further into her heated center as she sighed and whispered every dirty scandalized fantasy she had since that night at Regina's party.

While she did not have as much experience as Regina or Sarita, Lacey considered herself to have a healthy amount of knowledge about sex. Archie may have been her first, but they tried…stuff. Nothing too wild, but she bought underwear she thought he might like on her, and she was comfortable enough with Archie to take all her clothes off and keep the lights on.

Her imagined trysts with Danny on the other hand..

She never imagined she would ever feel so sexual about someone. She imagined having him in her car, in his room, her room and even something as raunchy as doing it at the field where Danny scored his first goal.

Even in her sleep she couldn't escape his touch, but the dreams were different. They would start off well enough. He would touch her, she would touch him and the heat between them would race until they reached completion, but instead of ending with a mind blowing orgasm she would instead wake trying to pry Danny's cold hands off her neck.

She supposed it was a way for her subconscious to bring her back to the reality of the situation. Danny was not an option. He was the child murderer who killed his own aunt with a rope and delivered her and Jo into a childhood of shame and isolation. Right after his release from Juvi, her best friend winds up beaten to death in her own home. As much as she didn't want to encourage the idea that Danny was behind Regina's murder , she would not let her feelings cloud her judgment.

The sound of the lunch bell ending broke her troubled thoughts. Sarita looked thoroughly put out, but even her sour expression couldn't hide the concern in her eyes. She was worried about Lacey. Sarita may be hard and difficult at times, but she had just lost a friend too. She needed Lacey as much as Lacey needed her. She was probably worried that Lacey would let Danny get too close and end up taking a bat to the back of her head.

One final glance at Danny and she sees that he's looking back at her. He has that look in his eyes again. It's the same look he's been giving her since that night at his house. It's pure longing and it makes Lacey's heart race. Danny was right there. Waiting for any sign from her, but he would get none. She had a boyfriend to confess to, and further isolated moments with Danny would only make things worse. Archie was far from perfect, but he cared about her. He did not deserve to be cheated on. She just hoped he could find it in his heart to keep her confession between the two of them. It was cruel of her to say it, but she hoped his pride would keep him from letting people know she kissed Danny.

She was fully prepared to lose him, and in all honesty she could use the down time. Her grades were suffering lately, and she needed to get her thoughts and feelings in order before focusing on a boyfriend.

What ever she felt for Danny would be kept at bay. There might have been a day where Danny's grin would have brought heat to cheeks and butterflies to the stomachs of half of Green Grove high, but this was not the case. Living in a world where Danny never hurt anyone was not an option. The only one of his smiles she could allow to affect her choices and actions, was the one she imagined he wore as the life drained from aunt Tara's body.

After figuring out the mystery that was festering around Regina's death, she would stay away from him and Jo. She would ignore the feelings she got when she would see them together in the hallways, and just maybe she could get back to the life she managed to scrap up in the last five years.

_Fin_

So first shot at a Twisted fic, and second attempt at a fanfic. Hope it wasn't too hard to get through, but if it was, please let me know what I can do to make it better next time!

Not the best spelling or grammar student, but I will continue to go through it post posting.

I know some of you might be wondering why I chose to leave out a possible conversation between Danny and Lacey as they walked to the diner. To answer that, I just couldn't write something that I was happy with.


End file.
